This is a good attitude, however, I don't really think this way because I say that doctors in fact only know what they were taught. Now there are a few -- I mean literally a FEW -- really brilliant ones out there, but for the most part, they only know what they know. If things aren't working I think there's nothing wrong with looking elsewhere. I had to kind of laugh at the caner comment because I kind of wish that I had cancer instead. That's depression for ya, you actually WISH you had cancer so you would have an excuse or explanation for why you want to die. Plus physical is so much easier than emotional pain. Anyway....I DO think alternative therapies bear some looking at, as long as you screen them carefully. Use your best judgment to figure out if it is legit, and get recommendations, etc. Why do you NOT trust alternative therapies, just out of curiosity? I mean, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over with no results, yet still expecting results. Time for a change I say. Having been through nursing schoool I can tell you that much of what we are taught could very well be wrong (not all of it, for sure, but a lot of it.) For example, acupuncture used to be derided and now is considered a legit medical treatment. Psychiatrists only know what they were taught and from experience. Apparently it is not enough a lot of the time. Hard to accept but this is true. And btw I did used to think anything but the mainstream medical field was worth listening to, until AFTER going to nursing school and realizing that all doctors and nurses know is what they were told to know. That's it. If there was any real life experience that contradicted what you learned, it didn't count because the answer on the boards was considered to be the ONLY correct answer. Yet the brain is so little known compared to the body, there is no way to say mainstream docs have all the answers. Even they will admit that without any possible way to measure (such as with bloodwork, for example) the best they can do is educated guesswork. Ask your shrink how he/she choose which medicine to prescribe, and ask about any other therapies you think might be helpful because he or she might also work WITH those. Finally, having known a LOT of depressed folks including myself, I find that structure, sleep, and after that food, great support, and inspirational work are ALL better medicine than medicine itself. Been doing a kind of informal survey of all my depressed friends for quite some time now and at this point i think medicine has been way too overhyped. We have the power within us to get better, and medicine is merely one minor aid when or if necessary. So can other therapies be beneficial -- just know that it is YOUR power to get better and everything else is for you to use.